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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2000)
January 7 .2ÛÛÛ * J Curl up with a good book Tis the season to hibernate, so here’s a roundup of quality queer fiction to read between the covers MEN2000 WfW Olii M en on M en 2000 Edited by David Bergman and Karl Woelz . Plume, 2000; $12.95 softcover. low can one go wrong with an anthology? | Truth is, there are some lousy pieces in Men on Men 2000— but that’s just my opinion. With 20 stories from which to choose, readers of all predilections are sure to he satis fied. AIDS and HIV, coming of age and discov ering sex, love and loss, cultural homophobia and co-parenting— the list of issues tackled goes on and on. My likes and dislikes aside, all the authors are capable, all the stories are apro pos. Men on Men 2000 is a fine addition to the series, which was begun in 1986 under the edi torship of George Stambolian. The collection includes a number of up- and-coming writers, as well as an excerpt from a novel-in-progress contributed by that queer lit crony Edmund White. (Personally, I find him highly overrated.) There’s even a piece written by a guy, Jeff Kuhr, who is straight— or at least married, according to his bio. Kuhr’s “We’re All Chicken Here” is mostly about death— a dead, loveless relationship, as well as physical death from HIV— and is among the better selections in this eighth vol ume of Men on Men. — Christopher D. Cuttone O utburst By R.D. Zimmerman. Delta, 1999; $11.95 softcover. I nnuendo By R.D. Zimmerman. Delacorte Press, 1999; $21.95 hardcover. j.D . Zimmerman won a 1999 Lambda Liter- I ary Award for Outburst, which has recently l been released in paperback. But his latest Todd Mills mystery, Innuendo, is much better, if you ask me. Both books follow investigative reporter Todd Mills and his police detective boyfriend on their quests to uncover the truth. (Truth being the essence of both their professions, as well as a sometimes thorny issue for the mod em homosexual.) Although Zimmerman makes a emous closet and the struggles faced laudable effort to toss around journal by gay youths complicate the ism and law enforcement jargon, he reporter’s and the cop’s investiga misses the mark on the ethics of both. tions. For much of the book, the Mills and his boyfriend share infor killer’s identity seems obvious, which mation more than they should and raises the tension level as other char seem unable to avoid becoming per acters unknowingly interact with the W I N T K It sonally involved in the crimes they’re suspect and makes for a dramatic investigating. ending. At this point in his Todd Mills One of the characters in /nnuen- series, Zimmerman has mastered the do is a famous and closeted actor tricks of mystery writing— which is not to say named Tim Chase, who’s married to an equally he’s using a formula. The author employs differ famous and closeted actress. This thinly veiled ent techniques in each book to create suspense caricature of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman is not, however, simply a means for Zimmerman to berate stars who stay in the closet and don’t use their fame to aid the struggle for gay rights. Chase’s predicament is ultimately cast as a sad, unfair reality imposed by a homophobic indus try and audience, rather than self-serving duplicity. You won’t miss anything if you read /nnuen- do before Outburst or the other novels in Zim merman’s series. Both are compelling and enjoyable, but Innuendo is more exciting over all, if only because it has more sexy parts. —CDC HIBERNATION C omfort and J oy By Jim Grimsley. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1999; $21.95 hardcover. \ im Grimsley’s previous novels include the | Southern Gothic My Ekowning— not gay - at all— and Dream Boy, a gay coming of age story. In those, as well as his newest, Com- and confusion. And, good queer that he is, Zimmerman’s books aren’t just thrill rides; they include unsubtle (but not unpalatable) social commentary of a sort that is absent from classic trench coat-and-fedora mysteries. In Outburst, a murder suspect’s unconven tional gender identity— and Mills’ struggle to portray it compassionately in the news— adds another layer to a story of cop killing and revenge. Even as the evidence piles up, the trans character is too sympathetic for the read er to believe she’s guilty. Still, moments before the climax, Zimmerman raises nagging doubts. (1 recommend listening to your instincts; had I heeded mine, I could have caught the killer halfway through the book.) Innuendo also tangles murder with queer social issues. In this case, Hollywood’s cav- L I Cycle i Serving the com m unity fo r 17 yearn 2330 NW Flanders Suite 207 2 2 6 -6 6 7 8 at N ight By Shani Mootoo. Grove Press, 1999; $12.50 softcover. finalist for the 1997 Giller Prize, the Chap- ters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, Cereus Blooms at Night took the international literary world by storm when it was first published by Press Gang Publishers in 1996. Set on a fictional Caribbean island in the town of Paradise, Mootoo’s stunning novel unravels the epic life story of Mala Ram- chandin and her infinitely complex family. When Mala, an elderly woman considered by many in Paradise to be crazy, is suspected of murder, a judge finds her unfit to stand trial and sends her to Paradise Alms House. Tyler, a male nurse with his own complex past, slowly becomes her confidant, and it’s through his narration that M ala’s story is magi cally woven. ‘Really S tu ff W orks N Offering general internal medicine and excelling in sexual health care C ereus B looms Continued on P age 38 C o ve n try W estoyer H eights fort and Joy, Grimsley’s evocative writing style inspires a medley of book review clichés: “lush prose,” “emotional tour de force,” etc. Comfort and Joy chronicles the flowering of a relationship between two gay men, viewed in retrospect as they prepare to meet each other’s families for the year-end holidays. As in real life, it isn’t all hugs and kisses. Even for the two lovers themselves, the road to acceptance is arduous. The fear of inti macy— a manifestation of internalized homo phobia for one man, childhood trauma for the other, and the unequal serostatuses of both— is an aspect of the gay male psyche that ought to be scrutinized; Grimsley does so with honesty and sensitivity. The prolonged emotional tension leaves the reader a little melancholy, though one could argue the ending is a happy one. Comfort and Joy is engaging and worthwhile, especially for those who are cynical about love. —CDC Antiques < & / = Treasures/ 'i t ☆ V P ro fesio n a l Service Comfortable Bikeo 2454 E. BURNSIDE PORTLAND, OR 97214 iff* tX' Recumbento a Specialty! Open Tuesday-Sunday 2 30-772 3 202 5 SH Hawthorne Family Owned & Operated Since 1952 7 3 7 2 51M C apitol Highway Portland, OR 97219 • 503-246-6267 We ere located In Multnomah Village near The dridge. Call for directione.